Faux Stride
recently i watched a tv program with a pianist named bradley sowash demonstrating a left hand accompaniment method he called "faux stride" or “fake stride”. the problem he was addressing is that it gets tougher and tougher to swing that left hand back and forth between the root or fifth, and the chord, as the tempo gets faster. one of his solutions is to play a single note on each beat, using fifth finger or thumb only; i.e., on the first beat, hit a low c with fifth finger, on the second, a c an octave above that with thumb, etc. the total effect sounds a bit like stride, in spite of the fact that no chords are being played, especially if you are keeping busy with your right hand.
another method i have read about is to play root with fifth finger on the first beat, then 3rd and 7th with other fingers on the second beat, all within an octave, so as to minimize left hand motion.
are there any other tricks for creating a stride sound at faster tempos?
ed
another method i have read about is to play root with fifth finger on the first beat, then 3rd and 7th with other fingers on the second beat, all within an octave, so as to minimize left hand motion.
are there any other tricks for creating a stride sound at faster tempos?
ed
There are no comments, leave a comment.
see "mastering stride style" in technique and exercises.
both of those methods you describe are how you get started doing stride. the fifth finger on a low note, thumb on the high note.
then you progress. fifth finger on low note, 3rd and 7th on high note.
then go a bit further. try to play a 10th- fifth finger on root, thumb on 10th, then jump your hand up to play a 3rd and 7th combination up higher.
really, stride is quite easy once you practice it for a few years or have a solo piano gig where you are forced to learn all the solo styles in a quick time period.
then you progress. fifth finger on low note, 3rd and 7th on high note.
then go a bit further. try to play a 10th- fifth finger on root, thumb on 10th, then jump your hand up to play a 3rd and 7th combination up higher.
really, stride is quite easy once you practice it for a few years or have a solo piano gig where you are forced to learn all the solo styles in a quick time period.
If I'm not back in 24 hours, call the president.
Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
by Scot Ranney on 06/18/2005, 14:03
i like that: "easy after a few years."
alberto,
thanks, your tutorial files are excellent, and very helpful.
scot,
great site! one question - if you play a tenth (not easy for my small hand, but getting easier) on beat one of a four beat measure with a single chord, and 3rd and 7th on beats two and four, what would you play on the third beat? a 5th from between the root and 3rd of the tenth? or the tenth again? or a tenth up a third?
ed
thanks, your tutorial files are excellent, and very helpful.
scot,
great site! one question - if you play a tenth (not easy for my small hand, but getting easier) on beat one of a four beat measure with a single chord, and 3rd and 7th on beats two and four, what would you play on the third beat? a 5th from between the root and 3rd of the tenth? or the tenth again? or a tenth up a third?
ed
stride lh in a nutshell:
* * * * * * *
"boom" = "single b a s s note" or "octave" or "10th"
"chick" = "chord"
* * * * * * *
typically, the "boom" falls on beats 1 and 3 and the "chick" falls on beats 2 & 4.
keeping in mind that stride lh is pretty much a souped-up ragtime lh, any of the following permutations are both possible and common.
1. boom-chick-boom-chick
2. boom-chick-chick-boom
3. boom-boom-chick-chick
4. chick-boom-chick-boom
5. chick-chick-boom-boom
6. chick-boom-boom-chick
7. boom-chick-chick-chick
8. chick-boom-chick-chick
9. chick-chick-boom-chick
10. chick-chick-chick-boom
11. chick-boom-boom-boom
12. boom-chick-boom-boom
13. boom-boom-chick-boom
14. boom-boom-boom-chick
15. chick-chick-chick-chick (erroll garner lh style chords)
16. boom-boom-boom-boom (walking quarter note bass)
stride is more likely to use 10th "booms" instead of the ragtime octave "booms".
more modern lh styles ("nouveau stride") uses rootless chord "chicks" in place of the older style stride which rarely used anything greater than inversions of 7th chords.
more modern styles will also tend to dispense with the rigid 4/4 count and be more likely to place a "chick" on beat 1 than a "boom".
* * * * * * *
in effect, even inside of this seemingly confining lh style there are endless variations and a myriad of possiblities for artistic creativity. dig?
* * * * * * *
"boom" = "single b a s s note" or "octave" or "10th"
"chick" = "chord"
* * * * * * *
typically, the "boom" falls on beats 1 and 3 and the "chick" falls on beats 2 & 4.
keeping in mind that stride lh is pretty much a souped-up ragtime lh, any of the following permutations are both possible and common.
1. boom-chick-boom-chick
2. boom-chick-chick-boom
3. boom-boom-chick-chick
4. chick-boom-chick-boom
5. chick-chick-boom-boom
6. chick-boom-boom-chick
7. boom-chick-chick-chick
8. chick-boom-chick-chick
9. chick-chick-boom-chick
10. chick-chick-chick-boom
11. chick-boom-boom-boom
12. boom-chick-boom-boom
13. boom-boom-chick-boom
14. boom-boom-boom-chick
15. chick-chick-chick-chick (erroll garner lh style chords)
16. boom-boom-boom-boom (walking quarter note bass)
stride is more likely to use 10th "booms" instead of the ragtime octave "booms".
more modern lh styles ("nouveau stride") uses rootless chord "chicks" in place of the older style stride which rarely used anything greater than inversions of 7th chords.
more modern styles will also tend to dispense with the rigid 4/4 count and be more likely to place a "chick" on beat 1 than a "boom".
* * * * * * *
in effect, even inside of this seemingly confining lh style there are endless variations and a myriad of possiblities for artistic creativity. dig?
7,
thanks, i could not have asked for a more comprehensive explanation!
i notice you characterized (one of) errol garner's styles as chick, chick, chick, chick. i remember listening to him (and wondering why he was sitting there on a phone book!), and when he would do the 4-chick lh, i was thinking it sounded more or less like someone strumming a guitar. but then he would throw in an accent somehow on or before the first beat. any idea of how he did that? when i have tried, it sounded like i was playing a tango.
ed
thanks, i could not have asked for a more comprehensive explanation!
i notice you characterized (one of) errol garner's styles as chick, chick, chick, chick. i remember listening to him (and wondering why he was sitting there on a phone book!), and when he would do the 4-chick lh, i was thinking it sounded more or less like someone strumming a guitar. but then he would throw in an accent somehow on or before the first beat. any idea of how he did that? when i have tried, it sounded like i was playing a tango.
ed
i know what you are talking about how garner throws in that accent. to me i hear the accent on strong beat 1, with a pick up leading into it on the + of 4
garner plays: 1 2 3 4+ and then accents the next 1.
when i do that it sounds just like it to me.
garner plays: 1 2 3 4+ and then accents the next 1.
when i do that it sounds just like it to me.
7: you said -
more modern lh styles ("nouveau stride") uses rootless chord "chicks" in place of the older style stride which rarely used anything greater than inversions of 7th chords. more modern styles will also tend to dispense with the rigid 4/4 count and be more likely to place a "chick" on beat 1 than a "boom".
this is where i am heading! do you have examples of "noveau stride" players - bill evans perhaps?
cheers
bro'
more modern lh styles ("nouveau stride") uses rootless chord "chicks" in place of the older style stride which rarely used anything greater than inversions of 7th chords. more modern styles will also tend to dispense with the rigid 4/4 count and be more likely to place a "chick" on beat 1 than a "boom".
this is where i am heading! do you have examples of "noveau stride" players - bill evans perhaps?
cheers
bro'
bill evan's "peace piece" is an example of "modern stride".
here is a great example of kenny barron playing a solo piano version of "but beautiful" on the opening track of frank morgan's album. kenny plays the head in a romantic rubato ballad style and then for his soloing choruses he goes into double time feel where he plays the root on beat one and a modern "four note rootless voicing" (evans type) on beat two (boom chick). he never varies the routine. if the chords change every beat he uses "shell voicings" instead.
here is a great example of kenny barron playing a solo piano version of "but beautiful" on the opening track of frank morgan's album. kenny plays the head in a romantic rubato ballad style and then for his soloing choruses he goes into double time feel where he plays the root on beat one and a modern "four note rootless voicing" (evans type) on beat two (boom chick). he never varies the routine. if the chords change every beat he uses "shell voicings" instead.
kenny barron playing a very basic modern stride style on but beautiful
https://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1117148
https://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1117148
scot wrote: "then go a bit further. try to play a 10th- fifth finger on root, thumb on 10th, then jump your hand up to play a 3rd and 7th combination up higher."
i used to play serious stride as a kid, and fifteen years later, after having forgotten the technique, i rely on this sort of technique to get me by when i want to jam out by improvising on a stride (ragtime-style oompah bass, say).
in bb, say, fats waller's "christopher columbus" could be played lh like bb (pinky) f-d (4-1) d (pinky) ab-f (4-1) and so forth. i can't tell without trying it out on a piano, but that kind of thing. (there's a horribly inaccurate arrangement masquerading as a transcription in one of those "solo jazz piano" books of this tune, but the original is one of fats's great showcases with his rhythm -- jack mcduff also covered it with gene ammons).
and then, from there, it's not such a great leap to fly outside of the zone created by the interval of the major tenth, if you feel it's worth the effort. i find i do have to practice those leaps, though, and it's not worth the time for me to get it down authentically. if you do this technique correctly, it's fairly hard to tell that the chords aren't being hit an octave higher. it's also easy to mix up the styles with walking tenths or octaves on the fly, i find.
james booker used this technique extensively to very good effect. not very hard to do in the lh at all, and gives your rh a lot of breathing space. that is to say, the this "cheater" style is also an authentic, well-established way of playing, even if it's not what fats waller would have done (but what is?)
i used to play serious stride as a kid, and fifteen years later, after having forgotten the technique, i rely on this sort of technique to get me by when i want to jam out by improvising on a stride (ragtime-style oompah bass, say).
in bb, say, fats waller's "christopher columbus" could be played lh like bb (pinky) f-d (4-1) d (pinky) ab-f (4-1) and so forth. i can't tell without trying it out on a piano, but that kind of thing. (there's a horribly inaccurate arrangement masquerading as a transcription in one of those "solo jazz piano" books of this tune, but the original is one of fats's great showcases with his rhythm -- jack mcduff also covered it with gene ammons).
and then, from there, it's not such a great leap to fly outside of the zone created by the interval of the major tenth, if you feel it's worth the effort. i find i do have to practice those leaps, though, and it's not worth the time for me to get it down authentically. if you do this technique correctly, it's fairly hard to tell that the chords aren't being hit an octave higher. it's also easy to mix up the styles with walking tenths or octaves on the fly, i find.
james booker used this technique extensively to very good effect. not very hard to do in the lh at all, and gives your rh a lot of breathing space. that is to say, the this "cheater" style is also an authentic, well-established way of playing, even if it's not what fats waller would have done (but what is?)
Please sign in to post.
Jazz Piano Notebook Series
Volume 1 of this educational jazz piano book contains 15 jazz piano exercises, tricks, and other interesting jazz piano techniques, voicings, grooves, and ideas Scot Ranney enjoys playing.
"Latinesque"
Volume 2 has 14 jazz piano exercises and tricks of the trade, and quite a bit of it is Calypso jazz piano related material, including some Monty Alexander and Michel Camilo style grooves. Jazz piano education is through the ears, but books like this can help.
Volume 3 contains 12 jazz piano exercises and explorations by the acclaimed jazz piano educator, pianist, author, and recording artist Tim Richards.
Tim wrote the well known "Exploring Jazz Piano" and "Improvising Blues Piano" books and has several others to his name.
Volume 4 is by Jeff Brent, a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and author of "Modalogy" and other acclaimed jazz theory and education books. In this book Jeff shares detailed analysis of transcriptions of live performances. He covers everything from the shape of the songs to the tricks and licks he uses in improvised lines to the ideas behind his lush chord voicings.
Most Recent Discussions
Articles
Piano for Adoption Scam
Aprender Jazz en Piano
BEWARE: FREE BABY GRAND PIANO SCAM
Oh Tannenbaum for Jazz Piano
Volume 5 of the "Jazz Piano Notebook Series" is Available!
LearnJazzPiano.com File Downloads News
more...
Top Sheetmusic Picks
Jazzy Christmas Arrangements
Cocktail Piano
Best Songs Ever, 6th Edition
Christmas Medley
Moana Songbook
Late Night Jazz Piano
Jazz piano education is cool.
Rock on. Follow your passion.
Sign In
privacy policy •
terms of service •
about
•
50,655 messages
63,069 accounts
57,173 logins
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only